Israel police: Palestinian youth attacked by Jews
By Associated Press
Nov 24, 2014 12:51 AM CST

JERUSALEM (AP) — Three young Israelis attacked a Palestinian youth in Jerusalem on Monday, police say, the latest sectarian incident in the increasingly tense city.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the unidentified youth is in good condition in a Jerusalem hospital, and that police are investigating the attack.

Tensions in Jerusalem are spiking, mostly over Palestinian claims that the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to change the status quo at a sensitive holy site in the city by allowing Jews to pray there.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied the claims but some members of his right-wing coalition favor letting the prayers go forward.

Known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, the site is the third holiest in Islam and the holiest in Judaism.

In recent months, 11 people have been killed in attacks by Palestinian assailants — most in Jerusalem, but also in Tel Aviv and the West Bank.

On Sunday a West Bank Palestinian home was torched by unidentified assailants, the latest in a series of attacks on property in the area. The walls of the home were daubed with racist slogans written in Hebrew. No one was injured in the attack, and Israeli authorities say they are investigating.